Line-lock for type-writing machines.



J. F. SMATHEH'S.

MNE LUCK FOR TYPE WRITING MACHINES, APPLICATION FILED JUNE 28, 1915.

1,21 5,586. Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

WITNESSES."

3M {7%, JES/l mm. @Lflw UNIT D STATES PATENT QFFIOEPI nuns F. SMA'IHERS,or KANSAS CITY, Mrssoonr. i

LINE-LOCK FOB TYPE-WRITING llIIACHINES. I i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, James F. SMATHERS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri.have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Line-Locks forTypeJVriting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to line locks for typewriting machines and myobject is to produce a device of this character which makes itimpossible to print a line of greater than a predetermined length or topile up two or more characters at the same point when the end of theline is reached,

\Vith this general object in view, the invention consists in. certainnovel and peculiar features of construction and organization ashereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may befullyunderstood reference isto be had to the accompanying drawing, inwhichi Figure 1, is a vertical section of a part of a a typewritingmachine taken on the line 25 I-I of Fig. .2.

Fig. 2, is a yertical section taken on the line 11-11 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3, is a fragmentary view showing the line lock device in normalposition as distinguished from the showing of said device in Fig. 2 inwhich figure it is shown in operative position.

Fig. 4,-is a fragmentary view fied form of the line lock device.

In the said drawing, 1 indicates a part of the frame of a typewritingmachine, 2 the levers thereof, 3 the pivotal point for said levers, andt the pivot carrying cross bar. In the construction shown. the keylevers are equipped with depending projections or heels 5, all of saidheels being transversely alined.

The line lock'ng device is constructed as follows:

of a modi- Specification of Letters Patent.

6 is a bar arranged transversely withinof fingers arranged in said attheir lower ends which and erlie the shoul; der 9 and thus guard againstupward bodily] Patented Fa =15. 13, 191,7. Applicationfi1ed June2s,1915. Seria1No.36,877.

movement of the fingers wizhinthe kerf.

The parts are so proportionel that thefingers are free to swing tron, apOintforward of the plane of the heels of their overlying or respectivekey 1ev rs toja, point vertically below' such heels, it being alsonoticed by reference to Fig. 2, that when a linger occupiesits rearwardor operative position it will prevent dovnward 'movement of the keylever.

To hold the fingers pressed yieldingly rearward against the rear wall ofthe kerf, their normal position, I p1 for to employ individual springs12, whith springs are preferably of right angle f)lll1 as shown, and allproject from an integral lowerpr channel portion 13 embracing; thelower, end and front and rear sides of the bar-H6... 'A retractilespring 14L attached at one end: to the frame as at 15, is connected to ashort crank arm 16 of a collar secured on one of the trunnion ends orpivots. and connected to a similar crank arm 17 is a rearwardlyextending rod 18, adapted as the carriage reaches the end of each line,to be'moved rearward and swing the bar 6 from theposition shown in Fig.3, to the position shown 111 Fig. 2, in which latter position thetfin sgers 10 are vertically below the heels 5yof all of the key levers whirhare in their elevated or normal positions the bar swung forward asexplained, a lever is in a depressed position, its respective finger 10will engage the front edge of the heel and as'a result said finger willIf at the time y be relatively swung forw: rd against the front wall ofthe kerf 8, and its respective spring 12 will be pressed fcrward asshown in Fig. 2, but will immediately force the displaced finger backintc line with the other fingers as the saidiepressedkey is 1 returnedto normal or elevated position; -It will thus be seen that a depressedkey can not hold the line lock ban in inoperative position as is thecase wiali that type of line lock. ,mechanism ,consi: ating' of a rigidor continuous bar incapable of being swung or moved to operativeposition below-Many of the key levers or heels th ereof, if a single Qkey lever. happens to be: depressed, Be-.

cause of this fact ,linetlozks of thetyper described (10 not performtheir prescribed function when the machine is being operwhich properlythe said levers, andfingers not (two position, caused to take ated withconsiderable rapidity,

been reached if as a rapid operation results in downward movement of onekey lever before the previously de-' pressed key lever reaches itsnormal or elevated position, In other words where a machine is operatedrapidly there is always one or more keys in a depressed or partlydepressed position and hence it is impossible for the line lock toperform its function when the predetermined end of the line has a singlekey lever is depressed. It is therefore obvious that letters may beprinted beyond the point where the line should end or, if the carriagehas ceased to move, that characters may be piled up at the end of theline, this piling up of characters ning occasional lines severalcharacters beyond adjacent lines. With my line lock comprising a barcarrying individual fingers for the different key levers, it will beimpossible to run a line too far or to pile up characters at the end ofthe line.

In Fig. 4, a modified construction is shown, the same comprising anoscillatory bar 6"provided with spring fingers 19, any one of which willyield upon encountering the heel of its respective key lever, as the baris rocked toward its operative position, the said finger springing underthe heel of =its respective lever, immediately the latter is releasedand rises to normal position.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced aline lock which can be easily and cheaply secured to a typewritingmachine, and which will perform its function efficiently and reliably asoutlined in the statement of the object of the invention, and while Ihave illustrated and described a modified form as well as my preferredform, it is to be understood that reserve the right to any constructionfalls within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination in a typewritin machine, of the key levers, a movablebar below carried by said bar in the planes of movement of therespective levers, each finger being yieldingly controlled and whenthebar is moved to operative position, caused to take a position elow itsrespective lever or to engage and yield to the resistance offered by itsrespective lever if the latter is in its depressed chine, of the keylevers, a movable barbelowt he said levers, ngcrs carried'by said ar in'the planes of movement of the respective levers, each finger beingyieldingly controlled and when the bar is moved to operaa position below1ts respective lever or to engage and yield to the resistance offered byits respective 1ebeing as unsightly as runver if the latter is in itsdepressed position, and means'for returning the movable bar to itsinitial. or inoperative position.

3. The combination in a typewriting machine, of the key levers, amovable bar below the said levers, fingers carried by said bar in theplanes of movement of the respective levers, each finger beingyieldingly controlled and when the bar is moved to operative position,caused to take a position below its respective lever or to engage andyield to the resistance offered by its respective lever if the latter isin its depressed p0- sition, and a spring for returning the movable barto its initial or inoperative position.

4. The combination in a type-writing machine, of the key'levers providedwith depending heels, a suitably-journaled rock bar extendingtransversely of the machine, and provided with upwardly'projectingfingers, a spring normally holding said rock bar with its fingersforward of the heels of the key levers, yielding pressure on saidfingers individually whereby any one of the fingers may yield uponencountering the heel of a' depressed key lever, and resume its positionin line with the other fingers when its respective key lever isreelevated.

In a typewriting machine, a line lock bar pivoted to rock about itslongitudinal axis and provided along its length with upwardly projectingyieldingly controlled fingers, all of which stand in the same radialplane with relation to the axis of said bar and are capable of beingindividually sprung back out of the plane of the remaining fingers andof springing forwardly into said plane.

6. A line lock bar provided with a longitudinal kerf or groove ofV-shape in cross section and having a downwardly facing shoulder at thebottom of the groove or kerf, a series of fingers arranged side by sidealong the length of and within said kerf or groove and capable ofswinging movement from one wall of the groove to the other, and providedwith bent portions underlying said shoulder, and springs pressingagainst all of the fingers and holdin them normally against the samewall of the erf or groove.

7. A line lock bar provided with a longitudinal kerf or groove ofV-shape in cross section and having a downwardly facing shoulder at thebottom of the kerf or groove, a series of fingers arranged side by sidealong-the length of and within said kcrf or groove and capable ofswinging move- 'ment from one wall of the groove to the bracing thesides and lower edge of the bar,

and means for applying' and provided with a series of right angle shapedsprings fitting against one side and upon the upper edge of the bar;each spring hearing against one of the said fingers and adapted to yieldto permit the finger to be swung forward upon encountering an unyieldingobstruction.

8. The combination with a series of key levers of a line lock devicecomprising a bar provided with a line of fingers for the respective keylevers, means for adjusting said bar to shift said fingers from aposition out ot' the path of operation of the key levers to position inthe path of operation of said levers, each finger being yieldinglycontrolled and adapted to be sprung out of line by its respective keylever if tle same happens to be in its depressed position when theadjustment of said bar mums and to spring back to normal positionimmediatelyv said lever is released and return ad to normal position,and means to reverse the adjustment of said bar when the first-1 amedmeans is inoperative.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

' JAMES F. SM. tTHERS.

Witnesses:

K. M. THOIHE,

G. Y. THORPE.

